Too loud
Too much melanin
Too confident
Too aggressive
Too ignorant
Too woke
Too lazy
Too strong
Too proud
Too black.
Too many manners
Too light
Too proper
Too respectful
Too well-spoken
Too gentle
Too white.
My outlook
My flat backside
My clothes
My friends
My voice
My neighborhood
Not black enough.
My hair
My pigmentation
My culture
My music
My skin
My experiences
Not “white” enough.
Coconut.
Oreo.
The names you give me are based off of your stereotype of what you think I should be.
You can’t figure out what I am.
You tar and feather me
Black tar
White feathers.
You put me in a box
And happily super glue it shut.
I burst through, startling you with my uniqueness.
Too energetic
Too driven
Too special
Too Me.
Sarah, 16, is a junior at Milton High School.
Art by Sarah Lucas
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